NameCensus.

UK surname

Smethurst

A locational surname originating from a place in Lancashire, England.

In the 1881 census there were 2,288 people recorded with the Smethurst surname, ranking it #1,953 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,722, ranked #3,625, down from #1,953 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Manchester and Bolton-le-Moors. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bolton, Rochdale and Chorley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Smethurst is 2,942 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 24.7%.

1881 census count

2,288

Ranked #1,953

Modern count

1,722

2016, ranked #3,625

Peak year

1911

2,942 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Smethurst had 2,288 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,953 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,722 in 2016, ranked #3,625.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,942 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Smethurst surname distribution map

The map shows where the Smethurst surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Smethurst surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Smethurst over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,066 #2,628
1861 historical 812 #3,388
1881 historical 2,288 #1,953
1891 historical 2,024 #2,280
1901 historical 2,760 #2,012
1911 historical 2,942 #1,767
1997 modern 1,969 #3,093
1998 modern 2,025 #3,128
1999 modern 2,032 #3,144
2000 modern 2,011 #3,152
2001 modern 2,016 #3,094
2002 modern 2,016 #3,152
2003 modern 1,950 #3,182
2004 modern 1,883 #3,266
2005 modern 1,860 #3,269
2006 modern 1,840 #3,312
2007 modern 1,830 #3,351
2008 modern 1,839 #3,369
2009 modern 1,882 #3,377
2010 modern 1,907 #3,407
2011 modern 1,860 #3,435
2012 modern 1,738 #3,575
2013 modern 1,785 #3,558
2014 modern 1,795 #3,558
2015 modern 1,775 #3,558
2016 modern 1,722 #3,625

Geography

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Where Smethursts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Manchester, Bolton-le-Moors, Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) and Prestwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bolton, Rochdale and Chorley. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Manchester Lancashire
3 Bolton-le-Moors Lancashire
4 Bury (Walmersley and Tottington, Heap),Middleton (Birtle with Bamford, Pilsworth) Lancashire
5 Prestwich Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bolton 032 Bolton
2 Bolton 012 Bolton
3 Bolton 034 Bolton
4 Rochdale 025 Rochdale
5 Chorley 014 Chorley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Smethurst

These lists show first names that appear often with the Smethurst surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Smethurst

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Smethurst, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Smethurst surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Smethurst household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Smethurst is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Smethurst is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Smethurst falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Smethurst is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Smethurst, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Smethurst

The surname Smethurst is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from a place name in Lancashire, England, originally spelled "Smethehurst" or "Smethehirst." The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "smæth" (meaning smooth) and "hyrst" (meaning a wooded hill or hillock), suggesting the name originally referred to a smooth wooded hill.

Records show the name was present in Lancashire as early as 1285, when a Richard de Smethehurst was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Tottington. The Subsidy Rolls of 1332 also listed a John de Smythehurst from the same area. These early spellings demonstrate the evolution of the name over time.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name in its modern form is found in the Lancashire Wills of 1548, which mentions a James Smethurst from Oldham. Another notable early bearer of the name was Robert Smethurst, born in 1592 in Rochdale, Lancashire, who was a prominent Puritan minister and writer during the English Civil War period.

The Smethurst name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One was Sir James Smethurst (1792-1868), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a colonial administrator in South Africa. Another was John Ball Smethurst (1824-1896), an English industrialist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bolton.

Other notable Smethursts include Robert Smethurst (1800-1857), an English architect who designed several buildings in Manchester and Liverpool, and Charles Smethurst (1834-1906), a British landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

The name Smethurst continues to be found primarily in the northwest of England, particularly in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, reflecting its historical roots in that region.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Smethurst families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Smethurst surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 2,045 Smethursts recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.70x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 2,045 7.70x
Yorkshire 56 0.25x
Cheshire 51 1.03x
Middlesex 21 0.09x
Derbyshire 18 0.51x
Lincolnshire 16 0.45x
Staffordshire 14 0.19x
Sussex 11 0.29x
Cumberland 8 0.42x
Kent 7 0.09x
Northamptonshire 7 0.33x
Surrey 7 0.06x
Isle of Man 5 1.20x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.17x
Somerset 5 0.14x
Hampshire 2 0.04x
Hertfordshire 2 0.13x
Kincardineshire 2 0.73x
Royal Navy 2 0.75x
Warwickshire 2 0.04x
Westmorland 2 0.41x
Flintshire 1 0.17x
Lanarkshire 1 0.01x
Norfolk 1 0.03x
Renfrewshire 1 0.06x
Stirlingshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Oldham in Lancashire leads with 198 Smethursts recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.11x.

Place Total Index
Oldham 198 23.11x
Little Bolton 103 30.18x
Manchester 100 8.38x
Blackley 88 189.13x
Chadderton 73 56.26x
Pendleton In Salford 70 22.14x
Bury 63 20.78x
Great Bolton 63 17.92x
Middleton In Oldham 59 74.14x
Salford 59 7.56x
Farnworth 50 31.44x
Preston 47 6.62x
Chorlton On Medlock 45 10.67x
Radcliffe 44 34.39x
Ashton Under Lyne 41 7.07x
Tonge 41 73.62x
Elton 39 42.53x
Little Hulton 37 84.19x
Pilkington 37 36.70x
Westhoughton 35 49.41x
Barton Upon Irwell 33 16.52x
Worsley 33 20.17x
Failsworth 31 51.05x
Clifton 30 150.68x
Crompton 30 39.69x
Hulme 28 5.05x
Harpurhey 25 67.86x
Newton 25 12.22x
Newchurch 21 9.67x
Broughton In Salford 18 7.42x
Stretford 18 12.33x
Tottington Lower End 18 14.27x
Moston 17 63.86x
Crumpsall 16 25.58x
Great Grimsby 16 7.05x
Royton 16 19.71x
Rusholme 16 22.60x
Chorley 15 10.07x
Dukinfield 15 6.57x
Glossop Dale 14 8.54x
Reddish 14 38.29x
Gorton 13 5.21x
Openshaw 13 10.46x
Islington London 12 0.55x
Ashton In Makerfield 11 14.55x
Heap 11 7.81x
Heaton Norris 11 7.28x
Hindley 11 9.72x
Kearsley 11 19.70x
Cheetham 10 5.05x
Middle Hulton 10 63.61x
Pendlebury 10 17.84x
Sharples 10 34.73x
Walmersley Cum 10 23.58x
Beswick 9 13.26x
Bradford 9 7.24x
Bradshaw 9 155.44x
Everton 9 1.06x
Tonge With Haulgh 9 17.42x
Toxteth Park 9 1.00x
Denton 8 13.60x
Halliwell 8 8.28x
Harwood 8 57.68x
Liverpool 8 0.50x
Stafford St Mary 8 7.49x
Wardleworth 8 5.27x
Atherton 7 7.25x
Birkenhead 7 1.78x
Hove 7 4.23x
Little Harwood 7 145.83x
Sculcoates 7 1.99x
Thornham 7 48.75x
Cuddington In Northwich 6 192.31x
Maidstone 6 2.64x
Pennington In Leigh 6 11.78x
Turton 6 13.81x
Warrington 6 1.91x
Ecclesall Bierlow 5 1.11x
Leeds 5 0.40x
Pilsworth 5 85.76x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Smethurst surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 195
Sarah 93
Elizabeth 90
Alice 61
Jane 47
Martha 46
Ann 43
Hannah 43
Ellen 38
Annie 30
Emma 28
Margaret 27
Eliza 20
Ada 19
Esther 19
Maria 17
Betsy 16
Emily 16
Florence 14
Clara 11
Harriet 10
Betty 9
Edith 9
Elizth. 9
Lucy 9
Nancy 9
Agnes 8
Amy 8
Susan 8
Catherine 7
Fanny 7
Louisa 7
Lydia 7
Bertha 6
Frances 6
Rachel 6
Amelia 5
Susannah 5
Charlotte 4
Gertrude 4
Kate 4
Lilly 4
Minnie 4
Ruth 4
Sophia 4
Anne 3
Catharine 3
Leah 3
Matilda 3
Rose 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Smethurst surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 145
James 137
William 130
Thomas 75
Joseph 48
George 47
Samuel 47
Henry 35
Charles 34
Richard 30
Robert 23
Harry 21
Arthur 16
Frederick 14
Walter 14
Alfred 13
Albert 11
Edward 11
David 9
Thos. 9
Wm. 9
Edwin 8
Ernest 8
Fred 7
Herbert 7
Moses 7
Frank 6
Ralph 6
Jas. 5
Amos 4
Edmund 4
Emanuel 4
Luke 4
Percy 4
Saml. 4
Aaron 3
Benjamin 3
Ellis 3
Francis 3
Harold 3
Jno. 3
Jonathan 3
Lewis 3
Nathan 3
Wilfred 3
Abel 2
Daniel 2
Earnest 2
Oswald 2
Peter 2

FAQ

Smethurst surname: questions and answers

How common was the Smethurst surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,288 people were recorded with the Smethurst surname. That placed it at #1,953 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Smethurst surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,722 in 2016. That gives Smethurst a modern rank of #3,625.

What does the Smethurst surname mean?

A locational surname originating from a place in Lancashire, England.

What does the Smethurst map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Smethurst bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.